Days since last round up: 7
Miles from Munich: 145
Major achievements: my first ever fully natural and entirely even golden tan
Reading: Farbe bekennen - Afro-deutsche Frauen auf den Spuren ihrer Geschichte (Katharina Oguntoye, May Ayim/Opitz, Dagmar Schultz)
Weather: storm a-brewing
Greetings from holidayland! If the first few days here were enough to switch into relaxation mode then I’m now firmly settled into it. Monday was a day off because the grandparents were still here, so I was given the day free to go and explore Konstanz, the closest big town, mostly noteworthy for it’s gorgeous old town, which was one of the few left undamaged post-war.
After a morning swim and a 30 minute bus-ride, I was at the Markstätte, just near the train station and right in the heart of the old town. A quick wander was enough to realise that the old town is easily doable in a day, so I got started with some amazing brunch at a one-off favourite find, Das Vogelhaus (http://www.das-voglhaus.de/responsive/essen.php), with an amazing selection of sustainably sourced food and drink to choose from.
Then a wander up through the old town and back across and down along the water front, finishing with the Stadtgarten, a lovely spot to sit and read just near the harbour, leaving plenty of room to be home in time for pancakes cooked by the grandma.
The excitement stepped up on Tuesday with a trip to the harbour for an outing in the grandad’s speedboat with the girls, followed by a pedlo ride just me and the older girl.
Wednesday was the grandparents’ last day, and they suggested that I should go and see Überlingen, the town directly across the lake from the house, so I had another day free to go and explore. Similar to Konstanz with an aesthetic old town, Überlingen isn’t quite as big, but the lake front promenade is absolutely beautiful, and I managed to visit on market day which was a big plus. Both towns have impressive cathedrals, and the selection of smaller churches proved almost as impressive as Munich. The Stadtgarten was equally lovely, although a little more tucked away and a touch more hilly, with a climb up to a panoramic viewing point which lets you see down into the town and across the lake.
With the grandparents leaving on Wednesday night, we moved to the downstairs section of the house, and from Thursday it was my job to look after the younger girl when she first wakes up. After a bit of a shock on the first morning, being woken up at 7.13am by a very excited three-year-old, things settled down towards the end of the week and everything is very relaxed. The dad’s brother and his family arrived on Thursday, followed by another cousin and his family moving into the little house next door (which shares a garden with ours) on Saturday, so there’s plenty going on. It means that in the evenings I can sit and chat with the adults a bit; both brother and cousin have spent time in England and are keen to help with German practice, and during the day there’s always another pair of hands to help with the girls, who are just loving being able to run around all day in the garden, and in and out of the water. Some particular highlights have been paddleboading (seated this time) with the younger girl, and aerobics one evening with the older one.
Reading has progressed a lot faster than expected this week, starting with Abbas Khider’s satirical Deutsch für Alle, followed by Wir Neuen Deutschen, an insight into the lives of second-generation migrants in Germany and Desintegriert Euch! by Max Czolleck. The weekend has been filled with very summery and holiday vibes: following a few cloudy days earlier in the week, the sunshine is back and glorious as ever, and with everyone here there’s always something happening. Saturday night was a big barbeque, each family bringing their own food and sitting outside together, and most evenings there’s a campfire by the lake.
Both girls still have their ups and downs about when they want to talk to me and when they’re sauer, but in good moods we have a lot of fun, and the bad moods seem to be passing more quickly. Promising for the next week here and the following months in Munich.